


When The Skies Rain Blood

by RyftWyrd



Series: Reaper: Child Of Oya [2]
Category: Children of Blood and Bone - Fandom, Legacy of Orïsha
Genre: AU: Children of Time and Hate (Cotah), Baba is trans, Binta is dead, Binta was trans, Bisexual Amari, Bisexual Tzain, Cotah, Genderqueer Characters, Homophobia, I think female-attracted is gynophilic and male-attracted is androphilic, Inan is an egg, Inan is male-attracted, Inan owns a coffee shop, Modern Era/Sans Magic AU, Saran is an evil mayor, This started out as a Inan/Tzain and evolved to include Amari/Zelie, Transgender Characters, Transphobia, Zelie is nonbinary and female-attracted, but I don't know how many people know that., references to police violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 21:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21326716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyftWyrd/pseuds/RyftWyrd
Summary: In an alternate universe, there's no magic, only a few misfit kids trying to survive the harsh world they live in.Alternate summary: obligatory coffeeshop AU with Saran as the oppressive mayor.Alternate alternate summary: Inan isn't gay and Amari is ALL the gay. And Tzain and Zelie are just plain gay. Somehow they manage to make it work. Eventually.
Relationships: Baba & Zelie & Inan, Inan/Tzain, Mama Agba & Zelie, Past Amari/Binta, Zelie/Amari
Series: Reaper: Child Of Oya [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537468
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14





	When The Skies Rain Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Thank MyLifeIsMadeOfFandoms for this, their comment inspired me to push past my fears and actually write something for this fandom. Hopefully I do it justice. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep this going, because I'm terrible at finishing things, but anyone and everyone is free to take inspiration/ideas from this. So, consider this a one-shot with potential to be added onto. 
> 
> This AU is the Modern era/Sans magic AU from my prompt sheet, called "Children of Time and Hate" or "Cotah" for short. I'm not sure my AU names will catch on, but I'll use them at least ;P

##Inan##

Golden light peeks through the buildings, blinding me as it shines through the bay window of the cafe. The last smudges of pink still grace the fluffy clouds. I stare into the beauty, wishing I could fly-

"Hey! Take my order, already! Damn lazy-" The old woman mutters under her breath. Anger trickles into my gut, but I push it down in favor of faking a pleasant smile. She grumbles when I hand her coffee to her as well. "I'll be speaking to your manager, young man, that is no way to treat your elders."

A sigh escapes my lungs. I've been nothing but polite to her the whole time. "I am the manager." I tell her stiffly and she grumbles as she retreats. People are so entitled here. Like my sister. The brat disappeared a week ago, and my father said she's staying with a rich friend. Whatever, I'm not worried. 

"Real ass, huh." Someone says and I turn to them. The breath catches in my throat and I inhale sharply to ease the sudden vise around my chest. The man who spoke raises a bushy eyebrow and his deep brown eyes twinkle. "Don't worry, I don't bite without consent."

My cheeks heat- I've been staring. I straighten my shoulders and stand up close to the register, hoping it hides the- _that_ in my pants. "How can I help you?" I bite my tongue when my traitorous mind tries to make me add on something scandalous. This is unacceptable. Disgusting. My father-

The heat vanishes into cold fear at the thought of my father finding out my- _preferences_. Saran despises the rampant plague of homosexuality and the tendency of so many people to reject the gender they were given. Ungrateful, he calls them in public. Bastards, faggots, retards, and worse when he's behind closed doors.

He's right, isn't he? People are just obsessed with sex and trying to be what they're not. They're ungrateful. I'm not like them. I'm grateful for what I have, for what I am. I'm _not_ attracted to the extremely well-built, strong, handsome, lusciously maned- oh _skies._

I make his order absentmindedly, and then my face heats again when I realize I'm making it wrong. I dump it out and start over, more carefully this time. When I hand the finished drink to him, he smirks and takes a sip. "It's good." He nods and holds out a hand. "Name's Tzain."

"Inan." I reply blankly, ignoring how wrong the name feels, not giving into the temptation to take his hand and feel how strong his grip is.

Tzain's friendly demeanour shuts down in an instant. He drops the drink in the trash and storms out. I sigh- in relief, of course. The fewer temptations there are, the better.

##Zelie##

Tzain paces in the living room. I look up from my book finally and sigh. "Go be a thundercloud elsewhere."

"I just can't believe I _flirted_ with him!" Tzain rants angrily. "The son of the mayor, you _know _he has to be as much of a phobic bastard as his father!"

I roll my eyes. "Maybe give him a chance, Tzain. You never know, he might be secretly gay too."

"_Gods_, Zelie, you don't understand!" He snarls. "He could tell his father, and then we're fucked!"

Baba hobbles into the room, his metal leg clicking. "Everything alright?"

"Yep." I say before Tzain can speak. "How's your tea shop?"

"Still going out of business." He laughs gently.

My palms sting as my fists clench tightly, but the pain grounds me. "It's not fair!" I cry. "You shouldn't be run out of town just for being different!"

"Calm down, Zelie." Tzain says.

"Oh, sure, _you're_ allowed to be upset, but as soon as I get angry, it's '_calm down, Zelie, you should be meek and demure, Zelie'_-" I stop myself and huff, glaring at the ceiling.

Baba chuckles softly and sits down. I can't stay mad around him, even if I wish I could summon the mistreated dead with my own hands and march on the mayor's office to demand he give us our deserved rights. Baba can barely afford hormones nowadays, and he's lucky he managed to get both surgeries before the price of insurance skyrocketed.

"I'm going for a walk." I stand up, my anger making me restless.

"Be careful." Tzain warns. "Maybe I should come with."

"It's to try to calm down, dumbass, and I can't do that around you," I snap. He raises his hands in surrender. I relent, "But yeah, I'll be careful. I always have my knife and taser."

The brisk evening air flows through my pure white locs. My hair is shiny yet flat, unlike my mother's gorgeous wiry curls. Calm down. That's what I'm trying to do. I can't calm down if I think of my mother and the way she died. The way she never had a chance.

She loved Baba before Baba even knew he was a boy. She didn't care. Somehow, I'm not sure of the specifics, but somehow the doctors managed to get mitochondrial DNA from Baba and impregnate my mother with Tzain and I. She- she loved all three of us passionately, without reserve- I blink back the sting in my eyes. She died. All because the cops--corrupt to the core--shot her down in an alley unprovoked. 

I remember how Baba wailed, the way Tzain and I had to hold him back to keep him from attacking the cop who told us she died. They lied and said she tried to shoot first. But I was watching. I saw. I couldn't let Baba die too.

Mama Agba waves at me from her tenement window. A grim smile etches my face. "Hey, Mama." I greet.

"Zelie, how is your dear father?" She smiles back, her warm brown eyes crinkling.

"He's good, Mama. Trai- _weaving_ this weekend?"

"Yes, child, I'll let Yemi know to go easy on you." She winks.

"You should tell _me_ to go easy on _her_, and I might listen." I respond. Yemi isn't my type. She's too arrogant, thinks she's the gods' gift to the world. But _gods_, I love sparring with her. I almost beat her last week, and this week I'm sure to win.

I bid farewell to Mama Agba and continue on my walk. I'm not sure how far I'll go tonight, but I can't go too far or Tzain will get pissed with anxiety. My brother worries too much.

As I enter the park, just as the golden sun is casting bloody rays through the clouds,I stop short and take a picture with my phone. The view is just too good to miss, the crimson light dripping from the leaves, the vanilla glow vanishing the shadows, the roiling clouds above- it's beautiful.

I snap the picture and then open it up, then realize that in the shot is a girl sitting on a tree branch. Her copper skin and black locs shimmer against the sunset's glory, her amber eyes staring into the camera- into my soul. I look up from my phone, but she's disappeared.

She can't have gone far. I venture into the growing shadows of the park, searching without knowing what I'll say when I find her. "Hello?" I call.

The bushes tremble. She steps out, wielding a knife like she's never even seen one before. Her hair is mussed with twigs and dirt, and her formerly fashionable clothes look like they've spent a week in the dumpster. She looks like a runaway rich kid. She- she's also _really_ beautiful.

"Hey, I'm Zelie," I greet gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Amari." She says with a divinely soft smooth voice. _Cultured_. Also isn't that the mayor's daughter's name??

"I won't tell if you don't." I wink at her, putting aside my rage. I just scolded Tzain for assuming Inan was a phobic asshole because of his dad, so I'll give Amari a chance. There's a reason she looks so unkempt and hungry, after all. "If you're hungry, we're having stew tonight."

"I- yes, thank you." She says, sounding to be on the verge of tears. Gods, her voice is lovely, I could listen to it all day. She murmurs under her breath, "Thank you, Binta."

"Who's Binta?" I ask as we head back to my home. She flinches and tears well in her eyes.

"Sh-she was my- my _friend_." She says, as though she wants to say something else. I understand immediately.

"You loved her." I say softly.

She draws herself up proudly and holds her head stiffly, blinking back tears. "She- _she_ was my friend, and I loved _her_." She says with forced calm, emphasizing the pronouns as though they're important. "My- I- I- saw the mayor-"

"Saw what??" I push, eager for a chance to overthrow the mayor with the evidence of his own daughter. She saw him kill Binta, didn't she.

"Apologies, I can not speak against the mayor without proof." She says stiffly, _politely_. My lips twist in a sneer at her manners.

"He killed her, didn't he. Just like he killed my mother."

Her walls crack for a moment and pain shines through. Regret for my pushiness trickles down my spine. But I have to be pushy, or nothing will get done. She doesn't speak for the rest of the walk back.

"What if we _get_ proof?" I ask suddenly. She stares at me for a moment with an unreadable gaze. She must have learned how to do that in order to deal with politics.

"If you could-" She says cautiously, "I- I would not oppose an investigation into my fa- the mayor's methods."

I brush my lips on her forehead as we reach the door of my apartment. Her cheeks darken. Hiding a smile, I offer my hand to her. "Partners in crime?"

"Thank you." She says and places her soft hand in mine. I open the door to new possibilities, to a new future.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed it please leave a comment and kudos!! If you Really enjoyed it, feel free to bookmark it ;P and if you want to be notified of future updates, you can subscribe ;P Feedback is the only drug I'm addicted to!! (well, that and chocolate.)
> 
> (MyLifeIsMadeOfFandoms, I'll try to make a one-shot specifically focusing on Amari/Zelie as well for you ;P thanks for your encouragement!)


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